1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cleaner, and, more particularly, to a robot cleaning system for enabling automatic cleaning using a robot cleaner as well as manual cleaning using labor of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cleaner is a device for cleaning the room and is typically used to remove dust, dirt, and debris in a room. Generally used is a vacuum cleaner for collecting dust and loose debris by a suction force generated from a low-pressure unit. Recently, a robot cleaner, which is designed to remove dust and loose debris from the floor while moving on the floor via self-traveling and without manual operation, has been developed. Hereinafter, the term “automatic cleaning” refers to a cleaning operation performed by the robot cleaner that removes dust and loose debris while moving by itself, whereas the term “manual cleaning” refers to a cleaning operation performed by a person using a vacuum cleaner.
Although the robot cleaner is able to reduce the labor required for manual cleaning, the robot cleaner still has several limitations. Accordingly, solutions to improve the robot cleaner are receiving careful study. As one example of the solutions, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-459466 discloses a robot cleaner having an improved cleaning ability sufficient to clean dust in corners of a room.
In spite of the study, most current robot cleaners have the following several problems. Firstly, the automatic cleaning function of the cleaning robot is limited to the floor. The cleaning robot is not successful in automatic cleaning in other areas, for example, the surface of a sofa, shelf, or the like, and therefore, has a limited cleaning area. Secondly, the cleaning robot is smaller than a general vacuum cleaner, and is unable to generate a strong suction force, resulting in insufficient cleaning.
Due to the above-described problems of the cleaning robot, there still exists a need for a person to manually clean specific places with a general vacuum cleaner rather than the cleaning robot. A cleaning robot cannot reach all places. Additionally, manual cleaning is preferred over a cleaning robot because a cleaning robot lacks adequate power to sufficiently clean all areas.
Meanwhile, when using the robot cleaner, it is necessary to prepare a docking station, which is located at a specific place in a room. The docking station serves a dual purpose: to charge the rechargeable battery included in the robot cleaner and to remove dust and debris collected in the robot cleaner while the cleaning robot is docked.
Accordingly, a cleaning operation using both automatic cleaning and manual cleaning tools require the use of the cleaning robot, the docking station, and a general vacuum cleaner. This results in increased costs and reduces the amount of indoor space available.